Friction transmission for motor-driven vehicles



G. B. JACKSON'. fmmzow'mmsmfsslom fos Mom DRn/sm vamo-Les.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23, i918. Y y y Patented Jan. 6, j920 QN/ mk:

mlm/rolf gema@ QZQZV' G. BpJACKSON.

FRICTION TRANSMISSION FOR MOTGR DBIVEN VEHICLES.

' APPucATmN FILED ocr. 23, 1918.

Panted m6, 1920; 4 SHEET"-SHEET 2 Mlm/.Ess

G, B. JACKSON. Fmlow B/wsrmsslorg Fon MOTOR nm VEN VEHICLES,

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 231'1918-l Emma mi. 6,1920.

4 Sums-SHEET s.

@Anagni/5y t? if erstes en GEBGE E. JLCKSON, 0E' GHICAGG, LLINQS.

To all whom it may concern:I

it known that L Geenen B. Jnoneon,

e citizen of the United States, and e resident ci Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of iiin'ois, have invented certain new sind usefull improvements iniriction Trensmissions Lfor Motor-Driven Vehicles; and do hereby declare that the following is e full, cieevr, and exact description thereof,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which torni e part oi' this speciticetion. I

rllhe invention relates to anovel power transmission device for motor driven vehicies for trensmitting power from the engine the traction Wheels. it is herein shown es designed for a relatively lowspeed vevsues-L es an agricultural tractor, but mmv Ahe adapted to higherspeed vehicles.

@ne et the ohiects of they invention is to 'transmit newer from the e ine to the 'wheels Without the use of change speed shifting gears, the transmission being efected through friction disks and wheels.

Another olo'ject of the invention is to produce e combined transmission and steering; gear Jtor motordriven vehicles through and y which power is'transmitted to the steen.

inf' wheels of the vehicle in a Way to driveseid wheels and also in o Way to steer them.

Another ohiect of the invention'is to provide enf-)vel transmission and steering gear of the cherecter described which transmits driving power to the steering `Wheels without empioying the usual differential geur. Uther objects of the invention are to improve end simplify transmission and steering gears for motor-driven vehicles, and' the invention consists in the combination and arrangement oi the parts shown in the drewmgs and described in the specification, and

is pointed out in the appended claims.

in the .dz-swinger# li-'Figure 11s a, vertical' sectionel view oil". a transmission end steering gear with the steering and drivingivheeis in section.

Fig. E horizontai section on the iine 2N2 of Eig. 1.

Eig'. is a horizontai section on line 3-3 o Fig;

Figs. end 5 are Aside elevations oi the ytraction 'wheels' and the gearing' by which they 'are comected'to the driven shafts of the transmission gear, with the outer pistes removed.

Specication of Letters Patent.

retention een e, ieee.

muessen med estone; se, me. f semi No. assess.

As shown in the drawings, l10,11 designate the driven end steering Wheels having like sheped 'runs 12. rhe said wheels arc l made hollow to contain gearing, hereinafter described, and embrace inner integral wel) members 1S, 16 and outer removable web members 17, i7, the latter fixed to the integral structure by screw bolts 18. Between the vvelos7 at their outer Veripheries, are 1ocated circular rocks 19 t iat are attached to the wheel structure hy the bolts 18',

14, 'l5 designate, respectively, inner and outer channel members of the vehicle frame. The trarne at theirontof the vehicle comprises further e housing 2O for the trans# mission und steering mechanism that is provided with e removable cap 2].. The housingr is provided also with lateral projections 22 that rest on and are supported hy the inner channel members' 14, and may be secured thereto by the U-holts 2li.-

The said housing is provided with oppositely extending tubular bearing studs 25 ings 26, 2G of the wheels, or those Within the hubs of the integral web members 1G. The

outer hearings 27 of the wheels are interposed lietween externally facing bearing studs 28 formed integral with the removable wel: members 17 andbeui'ing members 3Q carried by the outer frame members 15.

32, 33 designate, respectively, upper and lower disks provided with exterior axial bearing studs that extend into closed ended" shells Se, 35, seiited in axial extensions 36, 37 of 'the gear housing'. Thrust bearings 38 are interposed between the disks and the sheils 34, 35. Each of said disks is provided.

with a central depression which forms on each dish an 'outer annular hearing 'face 40 ond an inner circular beoringface 41.

45 designates a'power or driving; shaft adopted to loe-driven from a suitable motor. it extends throughfthe housing from front to resi' thereof and is mounted to rotate in nntifiricticn hearings 4h, carried by the ,housing 20. 48, 49 designate wheels mounted on the shaft 4-5 which are adapted to travel in peripheral contact with the higher faces 4Q oi' the disks. the' shaft 45 hy splines 50, whereby it rotates Witinhut may slide endwise of said shaft. radially adjusted along the `faces 4Q of the disks to vary the speed of the disks and may also he Withdrawn from contact with said The wheel 48 is fixed to Thus the friction Wheel 48 may be '11,0

faces into a recessed portion 52 ofthe housing. The actuating means Vto thus slide the friction wheel on 'its shaft may consist of a grooved extension of the body ofthe wheel 5 that is surrounded by a collar 55 provided with a lug 56 to which is fixed one end of a control rod or link 57. v

The wheel 49 is normally loose on the shaft, being vconfined from endwise displacement thereon by collars that` are fixed to the shaft.

60 designates a,1 clutch collar that isy splined to the shaft 45. 1t is provided on' its inner face with clutch jaws adapted to 15 interact with mating jaws on. the body of the friction wheel 49. The clutch is actuated by a control rod or link 64 that is connected at its inner end to a collar 65 which surrounds a grooved portionof the clutch.

2O 70,- 70 designate' driven shafts disposed in axial alinement with each other and at right angles to the driving shaft 45. l7l, 71ldesignate friction wheels that are fixed to the inH ner ends of the shafts 70, as by means of 2.5 splines 72, 72, whereby' the wheels may slide endwise of the shafts, but turn therewith.l Said friction wheels rotate in contact with the lower or depressed faces 411 of the frictiondisks 32, 33. vSaid Wheels. are adapted so to be simultaneously shifted along their shafts by a shifter rod 71 that slides in bearings 75, 75 of the housing and is rovided inside the housing with fixed arms 6 which terminate in collars 77 that vsurround grooved extensions of said wheels 71. The shifter connections for the wheels 71 are such that one wheel is'inoved toward the centers of the frictionjfaces 41 of the disks when the other. wheel 71 is 'movedaway from said centers,vand vice versa; and said wheels ire spaced a fixed .distance apart.v

The said shafts 70 are mounted to rota-te in bearings ,78' carried by lthe wallof the housing 20 and; the shafts extend out-wardly `45 beyond said bearings through and beyond the hollow studs 25 of said housing. "At their outer endsthey extend into bushings 80` set in vthe hubs of the 'removable web members 17 of the wheels. Fixed to the outer-ends of said shafts, as by keys, are inions 82. The said pinions are interposed 4etween the tubular studs 25 and the bushings 80 and the shafts are held from endwise .displacement between caps 83 removably fixedto the outer ends of the shafts and the hubs' 84 of spiders v85 (hereinafter referred to) that are keyed to the tubular studs 25 and bear against the inner bearings 26 of the wheels, which in turn abut against the '-60 walls of Athe housing.

The spiders4 8,5 before referred to, and keyed to the tubular studs 25 of the housing, and, therefore, fixed relatively to the h ousing, are adapted to support the gearing-s 66 which connect the pinions 82 to .the racks 19 i of the wheels. Inasinuch as the disks 82, 33

impart opposite directions of rotation to the shafts 70, the friction wheels of said'shafts engaging the disks on oppositei sides thereof,

it is necessary to so arrange the gearing in 70 the two wheels as to convert the rearward direction of one of the shafts to a forward direction Iwhen applied to the circular rack 19 of its associated wheel.

Figs. l and 5 illustrate the gear connec- 75 tions between the pinions 82 and the racks Y 19. n the wheel 11, shown in Fig. 4, intermediate spur gears 90 are interposed between the pinion 82 and thespur gears 91 which mesh directly with the racks. In the wheel 10, shown in Fig. 5, the pinion 82 directly meshes ,with .larg'er spur gears 92 which in turn directly mesh with the rack 19. Preferably, and as hereinshown, the spiders 85 are three-armed spiders, and three sets of 85 gears are employed for transmitting power from the driving shafts to the racks of 'the wheels. This construction is referred, inasmuch as it balances the (riving stress from the shafts to the wheelsd In the adaptation shown in Figs. l and 5 the racks 19 are disposed closely adjacent to the tread portions or rims of the whedl, which is adapted for a slo-wspeedvehicle. 'For higher speed vehicles the racks 19 will be 95 located nearer the'centers of the wheels.

The disks 32, 33 are adapted tov be forced toward. each other vand against vthe friction wheels 48, 49 so as to e'ecta positive friction'conne'ction therebetween. This may be 100 effected in any Asuitable manner. Ashcrc? in shown,l the means for pressing the disks towards each other comprises a rod. which ext-ends centrally through the disks and their axial extensionsand through the ends of the shells 34, 35.- The' rod is looped at its center for the passage of the driving` shaft.

45. The rod at its lower end is threaded to receive a nut 96 which bears aga-inst the bottom ofthe lower ,shell 35. The upper' end V1141 of the rody 95 proj ect-s through an extension 98 of the upper shell 34 and is threaded to 'receive locking nuts 99. Between the upper face of the extension 98 and said nuts `99 are located the two members 100,101 of a V cam, the latter of which is provided with a radial arm 102. The cam member 100 will be fixed to the rod 95 and the faces of the cam members are spiral-ly formed so that by a rotation of the cam member 101, which is loosely mounted on the rod 95, the disks 32, 33 will be pressed together upon the interposed friction wheels. VVhensaid cam member 101 is turned in the opposite direction, pressure of the disks on said friction .wheel is released.

It will be. understood that the controlling device for said arm 102 as welll alsoas the controlling devices for the shifting rods or links 57 Geh-and 7/1 will be extended to a con- 180 andthe racks 19' of the trol station convenient to the driver of the vehicle.

The operation of When the vehicle is to he driven forwardly, the driving shaft is driven by a suitable motor and acts, through the friction wheel 48 to drive the upper and lower disks in opposite directions; the driving power of the friction pulley 48 being transmitted to both said friction disks. The friction disks serve to directly rotate the friction wh els 71, but, by'reason of the fact that said tion wheels 7i engage `the depressed friction areas el of the disks on opposite its vcenter, the shafts 70 are driven in opposite directions, as before stated, rihe dii'- ferential yrotation of the shafts is, however, corrected by the gearing between the shafts wheels in the manlf the vehicle is to rearwardly, the disks ner before described. be reversed or driven 32, 33 are momentarily released from their friction 'wheels and the drivingv wheel f-lS is, through the action of its shifter shifted along the ashaft /l into the .portion 52 of the gear housing9 and tion Wheel/49 is loc recessed the frici the. action of the oliitch 60, and the disks 5 faces of the disks 3'2, 33, the vehic that driven through wheels 'will approach ladjacent to and associated, with ing mechanism disks and interposed 32, 33 thereafter pressed thera'gaiiist.' Thus it will 'be 's'een that the shaft serves to drive the disks in. a direction opposite to the friction wheel l8r shifting the friction 'shafts 7G, one of said the 'centers of the fric tion faces 41 of the disks, while the other will recede therefrom'. Thus, it will he ohserved' that the traction By siniultaneousb1 wheels 71' along their and steering wheel the friction Wheel'fl :nearer the centers of the disks ,will liel rotated more slowly than the other traction and steering wheel, so that 'the ef- 'fect of thus shifting the friction wheels 7i is to steer' the vehicle from one side to the other of a direct course. lNhen the friction Wheels 71 are from the centersV oftheir co-actinpfiiction e will lie driven in a straight or direct path. it will be furthermore observed that driving power is 'transmitted tothe traction and steering Wheels without the employment of any differential gear mechanism beyond that einbodied in' or comprising part of the steering mechanism.

It will he, of course, understood that the friction faces ofthe different friction wheels will be made of such material and so constructed to adapt them to the particular' service to which the transmission and steern is applied.` The arrangement of the upper and lower driving and transmission gear wheels produces a variahle power driving4 and transmission mechanism, and,

the device is as follows: Y

wheels to the friction disks, Li() ofsaid disks y the speed and ranges separately drivcnhij link 57,

red to the'sliaft through located at equal distancesA `friction faces on opposite lt will he understood, of course, that when is eflective to transmit traction and steering 'l the mechanism is very "simple, rugged, and compact '10 the mechanism .is applied to higher speed vehicles, the r tios of the gears in thevvheels, i as well also as the ratios of the friction and the width of the higher friction faces will lie varied to snit ofthe speed required.

l. claim my invention:

l. Friction power transmission mechanism 'comirising opposed coaxial disks, a friction driving wheel between and engaging-fric# tion faces on opposed drive the friction wheel, driven Wheels hedisks, with means to` i tween sind engaging other friction Ifaces on l saiddisks, and power the driven friction wheels. y

2. Friction power transmission mechanism transmission shafts -V comprising opposed coaXial-disks, a friction driving Wheel between andl engaging fr1ction faces on opposed disks, drive the friction wheel, driven wheels between and engaging other friction faceso'n said ldisks at o, positel sides of the centerlofV the disks, shaits seperately driven by vthe iatter friction wheels, and means to simultaneously and equally shift the driven wheels relatively to the axis of the said disks.

lFriction power comprising opposedoaxial disks, a friction with means to transmission mechanism y driving wheel between and engaging fric-` .l

tion faces on opposed disks, with means toA drive said wheel,

friction faces of icc friction driven wheels at opposite sides of the centers of the disks be tween and engaging other said disks, power ytraiismission shafts ser,y

arately driven hy the friction driven wheels,

'armson opposite sides of the axis of thef 'anendwise dispiaceahlc shifter member and .i

disk fixed to said member and connected/to said driven 4to fixedly space the latter wheels. o Ll. Friction power transmission mechanism" comprising coaxial disks having opposing .friction faces,l means to rotate said disks in' opposite directions, including mea'ns to i'everse their directions of rotation, driven, friction wheels having means to hold v thein at e fined distance apart, and engaging saidof thedisks, means said wheels toward and from said axesand sides ofthe aires to simultaneouslyshift friction Wheels in a manner,

iii

shafts connected to and separately driven by said wheels.

5. Friction po verl transmission compris-v Ative friction disks having to rotate said ing coaxial 'opposing friction laces, means disks in opposite directions', driven friction wheels having means to hold them at a xed distance apart and engaging said opposed` .on opposite sides of the axes thereof, axially alined driven shafts on which said wheels I are non-rotatively mounted and to be axially friction faces vdriving wheel displaceable thereon, and shifter means for said friction wheels, constructed to maintain them a fixed distance apart. i

7. Friction power transmission mechanism comprising coaxial disks having opposed friction faces, driving wheels between and engaging said faces, a power shaft on which said driving wheels are mounted, means to separately said wheels, whereby the vrotation of the disks may between and engaging other friction faces of theJ disks through which mitted fromsaid mechanism.

8. Friction power transmission mechanisn'iI comprising coaxial disks having opposed friction faces, driving wheels between and engaging said faces, a power shaft on which said driving wheels are mounted, means to separately control the driving operations of said wheels, whereby the; rotation of the disks may be reversed, and driven wheels between and engaging other friction faces of the disks through which power is transmittedfrom said mechanism, said driven` wheels having means to hold them at fixed distances apart and engaging the disks on opposite sides of the axes of the disks and constructed to simultaneously shift said -driven wheels relatively to the axes of the disks.

i9. Friction power transmission mechanism comprising coaxial disks having opposed driving wheels between and engaging said faces, a power shaft extending across the axis of the disks, one of said driving wheels being splined to the shaft and having means to shift it on the shaft radially out of contact with the disks, the other i being loosely mounted on said power shaft, a clutch splmed to said shaft adapted to lock the latter driving wheel to the shaft, and means to transmit power from said disks.

. 10. Friction power transmission mechanism comprising coaxial disks having opposed friction faces, driving wheels between nism comprising coaxial control the driving operations of be reversed, and driven wheelsv power is trans-- driven wheels to said vmechanism', andmeans to press said disks toward and against v the interposed friction wheels, constructed to release said pressure at will.

11. Friction power transmission mechadisks having opposed friction faces, driving wheels between and engaging said faces, a'power shaft on which said driving wheels are mounted,

means to separately control the driving loperations of said tion of the disks may be reversed, and drlven wheels, whereby the rotawheels between and engaging other friction faces of the disks through which power is transmitted from said 'mechanisnn and means to adjust pressure of the disks against the interposed friction wheels comprising Va rod which extends axially through said disks and shouldered to engage exterior bearn s associated with said disks, one of said shoulders comprising a member of an adjusting cam.

12.' Friction power transmission mechanism comprising coaxial disks, having opposed friction faces, driving wheels between and engaging 'said faces, a power shaft on which said driving wheels are mounted, means to separately control the driving operations of said wheels, whereby the rotation of the disks may be reversed, driven wheels engaging other'friction faces of said disks,

axially alined shafts on which the driven wheels are slidably mounted, and vmeans to hold said driven wheels at a ixeddistance apart, constructed to-permit simultaneous displacement thereof relatively to said axis l of the disks.

means to separately control the driving oper-v ations of said wheels, whereby the rotation of the disks may be reversed, friction driven wheels between and engaging other friction faces of the disks through which power is' transmitted from said mechanism in opposite directions, ultimately driven wheels connected to and driven by the said friction driven wheels, and means connecting said friction driven wheels to the ultimately cause both latter wheels to rotate inthe same direction. V

14. Friction power transmission mechanism comprising coaxial posed friction faces, driving wheels between and engaging said faces, a power shaft on driving wheels between disks having Opwhich said driving Wheelsl are mounted, means to separately control the driving operations of said wheels, whereby the rotation ofthe disks'may be reversed, friction driven 'Wheels between and engaging other friction positely driven shafts.4

, 15. Friction power transmission comprisf ing coaxial disks having opposed friction faces, driving Wheels between and engaging Y said faces, a power shaft on which said driving Wheels are mounted, means to separately control the driving operations of said Wheels, whereby the rotation ofthe disks may be reversed, driven wheels between and engaging other friction faces of the disks on opposite. sides ofthe axes of the disks, shafts on which the latterl'wheels are mounted, ultimately driven Wheels, `said driven shafts being provided at their outer ends With pinions, circular racks mounted on 'said ultimately driven, Wheels, fixed multi-arm spiders in'saidl latter Wheels, and gears-mounted on said spiders to operatively connect said pinions to said racks. .v

16. Friction apower transmission mecha` nism comprising coaxial disks having opposing friction faces, meansto rotate said disks in opposite directions, including means to reverse their directions of rotation, and f driven friction Wheels engagin faces of the disks on opposite si es of the axes thereof'through' whlch power is trans-` mitted from said mechanism. y

In testimony whereof I claim the foregoa.

ing as my invention, I hereunto append my signature at Chicago, Illinois, this twelfth day of October, 1918.

GEORGE B. JACKSON.

friction 

